XYZ Fairy Tail!
by CoeurDePluie
Summary: Levy did a mistake with her spell and Gray and Juvia were sent in an unknown city. Only one man can help them. His name is Ryo Saeba. He is City Hunter. [If you don't know City Hunter, it's like a detective story] Pairings: Gray x Juvia; Ryo x Kaori Chapter 3: Ryo and Gray are on their way to save Kaori and Juvia but who said they need saviors?
1. Chapter 1: The message board

**XYZ….Fairy Tail**

 **AN** : I know this crossover is a little weird but I have it in my head for some months now, and I needed to write it. If we are just two or three people liking it, I will be happy!

Fairy Tail is probably better known than City Hunter or Angel Heart, but for those who don't know Ryo Saeba, I recommend you to read one of them (or watch but Tsukasa Hojo's drawings are beautiful). But I think you can understand the story nonetheless!  
For the others, except Saeko (and maybe a mention of Umibozu) I will not use others characters than Ryo and Kaori. So this story can take place in the universe of City Hunter or Angel Heart, as you prefer. Let's say that Kaori is a little more than twenty years old.

The story will have two or three parts, I don't know yet.  
I hope you'll enjoy it! Let me know!

 **I don't own Fairy Tail or City Hunter, they belong to Hiro Mashima and Tsukasa Hojo.**

* * *

 **Part I: The message board**

"Levy" Gray asked a bit worried. "Are you sure it will …?"

"Don't worry!" The bookworm replied as she drew the last rune to complete the magic circle around the ice mage and Juvia. "I will read the spell and you will be transferred into the other circle." She explained proudly and pointed at the other side of the guildhall where Jet and Droy were standing on either side of a second circle.

"Maybe we should try with something else first?" Juvia suggested with a nervous voice. "Like an useless object?"

"Good idea!" Gray approved with relief and checked around. "Ah! I find it! Natsu!"

"What!? You want to fight Ice Princess?" The dragon slayer groaned and raised his fists. "Are you scared of a little spell, cry baby?"

"Come here, Flamebreath!"

"STOP! RIGHT NOW!" Levy screamed pointing to the pink haired boy with her chalk in hand and Natsu froze immediately with the menacing aura emanating from the petite blunette as scary as Erza at that moment. "If you erase the runes, I swear…" She trailed off, her threat fluttering in the air and Natsu nodded a drop of sweat running along his temple.  
"And YOU!" Levy turned towards Gray who gulped. "You were the one who complained about long trips and Natsu's sickness. I helped and found a spell which can transfer people from one place to another. You have to be the first one to try it!"

"Don't worry Gray-sama! Juvia is with you!" The water mage said to comfort him but her smile was tense and her face was paler than usual.

Defeated, Gray sighed and watched Levy as she grabbed her book. She came and stood before them, opening the book. Then she cleared her throat and recited the spell.  
Instantly Gray's and Juvia's bodies glowed and the guild seemed to fade. The bad feeling in his guts returned and when Juvia grabbed his hand, he didn't mind because he was probably as afraid as her.  
A wide smile on her face, Levy waved her hand.

"See you on the other side!"

And then the guild disappeared and the darkness engulfed them.

###

When he opened his eyes, he was lying into the grass and looking at the blue sky through the branches of a big tree.  
He tried to stand and groaned. He felt so sore!

"Is Gray-sama okay?"

He lifted his head and saw Juvia standing a few feet away.

"Yeah. A bit dizzy. You?" He replied minimizing his soreness.

"Juvia is fine. Juvia woke up a little while ago, you will feel better in a few minutes."

"Where are we?"

"In a park. But Juvia doesn't think we're still in Magnolia."

Gray let out a new groan and passed his fingers through his dark hair.

"Great. I knew it wouldn't work. I shouldn't have agreed with Levy."

"Levy-san must have made a mistake with the spell."

"As you said… Well, what do we do now?"

"Maybe, we should stay here until Levy-san brings us back?" Juvia suggested a big smile on her face with the prospect to spend some time alone with her Gray-sama in a lovely park.

"I'm not a man of patience." Gray replied getting up and ignoring the pout on Juvia's face. "I want to explore this place first. We may meet someone who can help us. Come on."

A light pout lingering on her face Juvia followed him and tried to slip her arm through his but he step away and she ended up walking by his side with her hands behind her.  
They walk through the park for a while before they met a middle aged woman who seemed kind but frowned at them when they tried to explain.

"Excuse us! We're lost." Gray started politely. "What is this city? We are mages from Magnolia, is it far from here?"

Her eyes darted between Gray and Juvia.

"We're in Shinjuku park, Tokyo. You probably want to go to some reunion with others anime fans, don't you? Well, you should ask someone else, I don't know where it takes place. But if you continue straight you will see Shinjuku station."

A bit confused, they thanked her and followed her instructions but once out of the park, they were amazed by the lot of people.

"Well, I don't know this city but it's sure it's big!" Gray commented.

"The buildings are so high Gray-sama! And there are so many vehicles!" Juvia added looking around with awe.

Soon they were lost and the people they asked for help had the same reaction as the middle aged woman earlier. Upset with the noise and the strange environment, Gray pulled Juvia in a narrow alley and sat down with his back against the wall.

"It's useless. We're completely lost and we have no money. And we don't know how to contact our friends. Or how to come back. We don't know this city. Nobody can help us. They look at us as we were crazy. Argh! What can we do?" He yelled in frustration.

"You can ask him." A voice said from the darkness of the alley.

Immediately, Gray got up and adopted a defense posture like Juvia.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not here to hurt you."

An old man walked in the light. His clothes were dirty and damaged, he had some mud on his cheek, but his smile was kind.

"If you're in a desperate situation, he can help you. Especially if you are a beautiful young woman." He looked at Juvia who could not help a light blush rising on her cheeks.

"And who is he?" Gray asked a bit annoyed with the last comment.

The man's smile widened.

"City Hunter."

###

"I don't know if it's a good idea." Gray mumbled as they followed the old man along the streets.

"Juvia agrees but this city is so strange. Juvia feels like a foreigner… as if… we were…" She hesitated as if her thoughts were too crazy to be said out loud.

"As if we were in another world?" Gray finished. "Yeah, I'm beginning to think that too."

"There. We are at the east exit of Shinjuku station." The old man interrupted them as he stopped in front of a large building where many people came in and out.

"So we have to go down into the hall and write our request on a board?" Gray repeated to be sure.

"The message board, yes. And your request must start with XYZ, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks." The ice mage said and walked away towards the front doors.

"Thank you very much sir." Juvia bowed gratefully to the man and then quickly reached Gray's side, missing the knowing smile of the man and his murmur "Ah, youthful love".

The hall was full of people talking, screaming and hurrying. Gray and Juvia made their way through the crowd and finally reached a board almost full of written messages.

"I think that it's." Gray said as he undone the first button of his shirt.

"Gray-sama…" Juvia warned promptly.

"Yeah, I know. I won't strip. I'm just a bit hot with all these people. So what are we going to write? 'A spell sent us in this world, please, sent us back?'"

"Juvia doesn't know. Oh look Gray-sama! Someone else wrote a request!" She pointed to a message in the top right.

"Hum? Ah yes. 'XYZ. Please, I need help with intimidating messages I received.' And then a series of numbers."

"Does it not remind you of the job board in the guildhall, Gray-sama?"

Gray hummed in agreement and watched Juvia took a chalk, but as soon as she started to write the three letters code a shout echoed within the hall walls.

"MOKKORI!"

Juvia turned just in time to see a man with black hair jumping and targeting her. Startled, she could not do anything, looking with wide eyes at the man who was followed by a … giant hammer?

"Ryoooooooooooooo!"

With a loud crash, the man was crushed onto the floor a few inches away of Juvia's feet. She stared at the young woman with short brown hair, dressed in jeans and a simple shirt. She was fuming, her hand grabbing firmly the handle of the hammer, but when she raised her eyes and saw Juvia's puzzled face she blushed and hid her hammer behind her.

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't mind him!" She laughed awkwardly. "He is an idiot. I'm sorry if he disturbed you…"

Her eyes lingered on the chalk in Juvia's hand and then on the board and the beginning of the code. She grabbed the man by his collar and yelled to his face.

"A client! How many times I have to tell you not to jump on the clients! You pervert!"

"I'm… not…the only pervert… here…" The man said with difficulty, strangled by the woman grip.

"What?" She asked surprised.

The man raised a hand pointing to Gray. Juvia and the woman turned their head and blushed immediately.

"Gray-sama! Your clothes!" Juvia screamed while steam rose above the woman head.

"Crap!"

As the two mages gathered Gray's clothes, the man asked his companion with a smirk "You're enjoying the view, don't you?"

"Sh…Shut up! I don't have your pervert mind!" She slammed him on his head and lifted up, clearing her throat. "Hum, sorry for that. Are looking for City Hunter?"

Juvia left Gray get dressed and turned towards the young woman.

"Ah! Yes! We need help. We're… foreigners but… we can't go back on our own. It's… a bit complicated. Someone told us that City Hunter might help us."

The woman smiled widely and grabbed Juvia's hands.

"Thank you! It's been a while since our last job! I'm so happy! We are City Hunter and we'll help you! Ah! My name is Kaori! Kaori Makimura! And the idiot is Ryo Saeba." She added with a nod towards the man behind her who stuck his tongue at her.

"Ah, thank you Kaori-san." Juvia said with a shy smile. "Juvia's name is Juvia Lockser and this is my…"

"Gray Fullbuster." Gray cut before she said "beloved" or something similar.

"Tssk. A man." Ryo grumbled.

Kaori sent him a death glare. "Don't start!"

"Okay…" He sighed deeply. "So, where do you come from and why can't you go back?"

Juvia and Gray exchanged looks.

"As she said: it's complicated." Gray answered. "Can we talk about it somewhere else?"

"Sure! We can go home, it's safe and you can relax." Kaori proposed politely.

At this point Juvia felt a presence behind her and then an arm encircled her shoulders and she was led away.

"You and the guy can go home! I know another place where this Mokkori-chan can relax too!" Ryo shouted and winked at Juvia who blushed furiously.

"E-E-Eh!?" She squeaked. "Juvia's sorry but she can't." She tried to protest but Ryo strengthened his grip on her shoulders and sent her a seductive grin.

"Argll!" He let out a strangled moan as Kaori stopped him by his collar while Gray put a hand on Juvia's waist and pulled her towards him.

"You're not going anywhere with the client." Kaori whispered into his ear with a cold tone. "Or I'll destroy the magazines you're hiding under your bed."

"Gr…Gray-sama!" Juvia stuttered with red cheeks, pressed against Gray's chest while he sent dark glares at the other man.

"I don't like this man, he reminds me of Lyon a bit too much." He growled before realizing their proximity and he let her go. "Sorry. Herm, well…What do you think? Can we still ask them? They're weird."

"Like our guild, Gray-sama." Juvia objected. "Juvia thinks we can trust them. And Kaori-san seems kind." She added missing the way Ryo paled with the threats of the said woman.

Gray arched a brow but didn't stop her nonetheless when she turned and said to the City Hunter couple. "Kaori-san? Before we leave, you have another request on the board."

Immediately, Kaori let go Ryo's collar and rushed towards the message board while her companion coughed and tried to catch his breath.

"It's true!" Kaori exclaimed, hands on her cheeks and eyes watering. "Two jobs in one day! I'm so happy!"

"Oi! Don't take it if it's from a man!" Ryo said but she ignored him and pulled a notebook from her pocket and wrote the request.

"Definitely weird." Gray commented.

 **To be continued**

* * *

 **AN** : Do you like it? This chapter is a sort of introduction, action will come in the next chapter!

If you have found some mistakes, please let me know, English is not my native language!


	2. Chapter 2: The client

**AN:** Here the second chapter. I hope you'll like it!

If you find some mistakes, please tell me what they are and I'll correct them.

 **Disclaimer** : **I don't own Fairy Tail or City Hunter, they belong to Hiro Mashima and Tsukasa Hojo.**

But I drew the cover picture. I tried to draw Kaori and Juvia in a style between Hojo's and Mashima's.  
But I draw just for fun so it's not as good as I wanted.

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part II: The client**

"There." Kaori said as she put on a law table a tray with cups of tea for her and Juvia and two beers for the men. Then she sat next to Ryo while Gray and Juvia were seated on the other couch.

Ryo grabbed a beer, opened it and said "So? Could you explain your situation now?"

Gray and Juvia exchanged glances.

"We live in Magnolia" Juvia started. "It's a town in the Fiore Kingdom."

"Never heard about it." Ryo commented with narrowed eyes.

"Is it in Europe?" Kaori asked with some sparkles in her eyes.

"Uh…" Juvia turned towards Gray for some help.

"It's not in this world. We're from an alternate universe. We're mages." He said straight.

A silence followed his announcement as Kaori and Ryo stared at them with a blank expression.

Some seconds later, Ryo blinked and leaned towards Kaori whispering in her ear. "Call the police or the hospital, I'll keep them distracted."

Gray sighed.

"It would be easier if we show them." He said to Juvia who nodded. "Juvia is a water mage…" He gestured towards her as she raised her hand and created a ball of water, Kaori and Ryo gasped and their eyes widened. "… And I'm an ice mage."

He touched the water ball with his finger and the ball froze immediately.

Ryo fell on his knees, gripping the edge of the table, looking at the frozen ball with awe.

"This is the crazier thing I've ever seen. I mean, we saw strange things. A plane crashed here once. But this… Is it really magic?"

"Yes." Gray answered. "Magic is a common fact in our world. We have different Guilds where mages can pick missions to get rewards. Juvia and I are from the guild Fairy Tail."

He lifted his shirt to show his guild crest while Juvia put her thigh on display with her own mark.

"Odd name but cool tattoos." Ryo commented with a lustful smile on his lips, his eyes glued on the white skin of Juvia's leg.

Kaori seemed to awaken with Ryo's reaction and kick him in the guts sending him crawling on the floor.

"Behave." She warned.

"O…Okay." Ryo whined as he got up and sat again. "So, how did you come in… uh… our world?"

Then Gray explained Natsu's sickness, his own complains, Levy's idea and the result of her spell.

"And have you any clue to how come back?" Ryo asked when he had processed all the information.

Gray raised a brow.

"We have not or else we wouldn't ask you for help."

"Ah, yeah, right. Huh… But we know nothing in magic. We know a magician but she uses tricks, not real magic." He turned towards Kaori who had a pensive face.

"There should be a link between our world and yours. Maybe a place or an object." She wondered out loud. "Have you seen something which looks familiar?"

"We were in a park when we woke up. But it didn't look like Magnolia park." Gray said thoughtful, his head resting against his palm.

"There are many parks anyway." Ryo pointed out.

"The board." Juvia murmured so low they didn't heard her immediately.

"What?" Ryo asked.

"The message board is like our request board."

Ryo and Kaori stared at her.

"We have a board where we pick a mission." Gray explained. "The Guild receives different types of missions: stop some monster, arrest thieves, save someone or more difficult requests. Mira put them on the board, we check and choose one. When we complete the mission, we get a reward and we can buy stuffs or pay our rent. My friend Lucy is a bit obsessed with her rent."

"Oh, I see." Kaori clapped her hands together. "Yeah, it's a bit like our job."

"Except it's Kaori who's obsessed with the money. Personally, I can be paid with good company." He glanced at Juvia with a seductive smile.

Kaori shot him a death glare.

"But you were around the board earlier and nothing happened." She noticed.

"Perhaps we have to write the spell on it." Gray suggested and then turned his head to Juvia. "But I can't remember Levy's runes."

Sadly Juvia shook her head, she didn't remember the runes either. They were so complex, only Levy and Lucy could be able to draw them from memory.

"We can go back tomorrow." Kaori suggested. "Around the same hour and see if something happened. Maybe we will be lucky just like today and have another job. Ah! I should call the client from the second job and schedule an appointment."

"We can help you as a pay back! Ne, Gray-sama?" Juvia offered.

Kaori turned with an interrogative look to Ryo who shrugged. "Depends on that the client wants."

Kaori nodded and grabbed the phone, her notebook on her laps.

"I warn you." Ryo said as Kaori talked with the client on the phone. "Some jobs can be dangerous. And you should use your powers only in emergency. We don't practice magic in our world. People can be afraid."

"Yeah, we got odd looks earlier." Gray agreed.

Some moment later, Kaori hung up with a big smile.

"So, the client agreed for a meeting tomorrow morning at her office. She didn't tell me-"

"A woman! YES!" Ryo shouted in exultation.

Kaori elbowed him in the face and continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"-what's her problem. But she works for the Wakanae Bank. You can come along with us and meet the client. Then we'll decide if you can help us. Are you okay with that? Good!" She said after Gray and Juvia agreed. "Well, I think you have nowhere to stay for the night? You can sleep here if you want."

"Yeah! Great idea!" Ryo shouted and picked Juvia bridal style. "Juvia-chan will sleep with me!"

A second later, he was lying on the floor, with a big hammer on his back. Kaori puffed with annoyance.

"Juvia will sleep in my room. With the door locked. Understand?"

"Mmmpf..yeah." Ryo mumbled, his face against the floor.

"Good." Then she turned towards Juvia. "Could you help me with the diner?"

As the women went to the kitchen, Gray squatted down in front of Ryo.

"I feel a bit of compassion for you."

"Don't. I'm okay. I'm used to it." Ryo said as he pushed the hammer aside and got up. "So, can you fight without your magic?"

Gray smirked.

"What's a challenge?"

They fought for a moment before Kaori interrupted them with her hammer (Gray wondered if she really had no magic because it seemed to come out of nowhere. It was huge and heavy, she couldn't hide it under her shirt.)

The diner was quiet except when Ryo did a comment about Juvia's cooking which he found delicious and asked her if she wanted to become his new partner because Kaori's food was disgusting. Then

Kaori hit him behind his head with a small hammer (No really. Where did they come from?) and said something about trying to eat without his teeth.

After diner Ryo proposed to go out to drink and dredge but Gray declined, justifying with the exhaustion from the universe travel, much to Juvia's relief.

When Kaori and Juvia went to Kaori's bedroom and she offered her bed, Juvia blushed and tried to refuse saying she could use the futon Kaori was putting on the floor. But Kaori didn't let her, arguing it was Juvia who need to rest. Juvia gave up and took the bed while Kaori led on the futon with a tommy gun beside her. Seeing the look of Juvia, Kaori smiled and said it was for Ryo's nocturnal visit (Even if Juvia's mind was full of questions she didn't ask).

On the couch, Gray fell asleep quickly but he woke up in the middle of the night by a loud noise. As he turned on the light he saw Kaori dragging behind her rolled up in a mat, a tied up Ryo who tried to protest despite the gag on his mouth. She opened a window and threw him out, hanging him by a rope. Muffled shouts and cries were heard from the other end of the rope before she closed the window wishing her partner a good night.

When the morning came, Gray helped Kaori and Juvia with making breakfast before bringing up Ryo who was still hung outside and snoring loudly. Gray didn't ask him if he was also used to it, he could guess the answer.

Finally all four were ready and went out of the apartment in the direction of the Wakanae Bank.

"How do you work?" Juvia asked Kaori as they walked side by side with the men some steps behind them. "Have you some missions you don't accept?"

"Well, we meet with the client before accepting the job. We don't accept assassination jobs, but we can fake a murder if the client wants to disappear and start a new life. Most of the time, we have to protect someone. From the yakuzas or from a crime organization. We work in the shadow but sometimes we help the police. We have a friend in the police, she's an officer. My brother was an officer too. He was Ryo's first partner." She added with a soft smile but a sad cloud covered her eyes.

"What happened?" Gray asked while Juvia's eyes saddened

Kaori opened her mouth to answer but they heard a woman scream not far away. They turned around and saw Ryo running after a young woman with a disgusting lustful face.

"He is impossible!" Kaori hissed and ran to Ryo with her hammer out.

"He's worst than Loke." Gray commented in a whisper and Juvia giggled.

Once again Ryo was tied up and dragged on the ground by a fuming Kaori.

"As you can't behave, you can't meet the client. We can't lose this job." She said when they arrived at the bank.

"Nooo! Please Kaori! I want to see the mokkori-chan!" Ryo pleaded.

"I said no. You will wait outside while I meet her." She turned towards Gray and Juvia. "One of you can keep an eye on him?"

"Juvia-chan! Juvia-chan can stay with me." Ryo shouted with hopeful eyes.

Kaori shot him a death glare and then sighed. "Can you stay with him?" She asked Gray with an apologetic gaze.

"No! Not him! Juvia-chan! Juvia-chan, please!" Ryo crawled trying to reach Juvia's feet.

"Shut up."

Kaori tightened the ropes around him and Gray agreed to stay with Ryo. But as he watched both women walk away he felt a bad feeling in his guts. Maybe it was not a good idea to be separated…

###

Kaori and Juvia entered the bank and asked the receptionist for Hitomi Wakanae. A moment later, a young woman with long dark hair came to them and presented herself as the client Hitomi Wakanae. She led them to her office and Kaori and Juvia took the seats in front of her desk.

"So you're the City Hunter?" Hitomi asked a bit surprised. "I always thought it was a man."

"My partner is… busy." Kaori explained with a nervous laugh. "It's just both of us." She gestured towards Juvia and herself. "If you agree, we want to ask you some questions. Your name is Wakanae, as the name bank. Is the bank yours?"

The woman shook her head.

"No. My dad owns the place. And many others. I'm the manager thought."

"It's still impressive." Kaori smiled. "So can you explain why you called us? Is it a personal matter or…?"

"No." Hitomi answered as she took letters out of the desk drawer. "For two weeks, I receive anonymous messages. All of these say that the bank is going to be attacked. I didn't believe it at first but I increased the security nonetheless. I engaged three security guards and two surveillance cameras were installed. And I'm the only person who knows the code of this safety deposit box." She pointed to a small vault in the corner of her office. "It contains the most valuable things of my clients. But I still receive the letters. The last one said I shouldn't come to work these days."

Kaori picked some messages and read them, Juvia taking a look over her shoulder. The sender had cut letters in a news paper to form words so there were no handwritings or clues of their identity. The content wasn't threatening, just informing about an imminent hold-up.

"Why didn't you call the police?" Kaori asked while Juvia read the last letter and furrowed her eyebrows. "They could have investigated and arrest the sender of these messages."

At this point Hitomi seemed uncomfortable and hesitated to answer.

"You know the sender." Juvia said suddenly.

Hitomi bit her lower lip before nodding. "I'm not sure…"

"How did you figure it out?" Kaori asked Juvia with awe.

"This letter." Juvia said. "The last words: 'Don't come to work. Stay safe.' Those who sent this message wants Wakanae-san in safety, they care about her. It might be the same person who prepares the hold-up but they don't want Wakanae-san to be hurt."

Kaori nodded in understanding then turned to Hitomi.

"Who do you think it is?"

Hitomi closed her eyes for a moment.

"I can't believe he would be part of the hold-up. He…" She paused. "I met him seven months ago. We hung out for a bit and then we started to date properly. But last month, he broke up. Without an explanation. And a week later, I received the first letter."

"But how can he know about that?" Kaori asked.

Before Hitomi could answer, they heard a loud noise from the bank hall. Hitomi got up and moved towards the door but Kaori stopped her.

"Stay back. It could be them. Juvia. Stay with Wakanae-san. I'll come back."

"It can't be true…" Hitomi murmured and then her legs trembled. She started to fall but Juvia caught her before she hit the floor. "I… I felt strange…"

Kaori glanced at her and seemed to hesitate but she took some steps towards the door.

"Huh…" She moaned suddenly as her legs went weak and she kneeled.

"Kaori-san!" Juvia shout and tried to get up to come towards her. "Aaah…" She felt dizzy and she saw some black spots before her eyes.

"Sleeping gas…" Kaori muttered with a hand on her mouth and nose.

She could do nothing as she saw Juvia fell slowly next to Hitomi who was already unconscious. Few seconds later, she was also lying on the floor as she heard loud footsteps coming their way.

She fell asleep when five men entered the office, wearing black protecting clothing and gas mask.

"Take the safety box." One of them ordered.

"What girl should we take?" Another asked. "They're three."

"We don't have time to guess. Take all of them. The boss is waiting."

The three women were picked up by tree men while the two others carried the vault.

###

Meanwhile, still tied up, Ryo was imploring Gray to release him.

"Kaori is always like this. She can't understand that a young man in his twenties needs some fun."

"Stop complaining. She seemed to be a good nakama. And I thought you were closer to thirty."

"Shut up. I'm an eternal young man!"

Gray smiled and opened his mouth to make a comment but two white trucks stopped in front of the bank and fifteen men in black got out and ran inside the bank.

Even if he wasn't familiar with this world, Gray knew something was wrong. He took a step towards the bank but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Ryo who had freed himself alone.

"There are too many."

He pushed Gray between two buildings where they could still watch the bank.

"No shooting. I don't like it." Ryo commented after a while.

Gray couldn't help but notice that Ryo's eyes were serious and cold. His hand was still on Gray's shoulder and Gray felt his grip tightened. His eyes went back to the bank entrance in time to see the men carrying Juvia, Kaori and a young woman, all three unconscious, and put them in a van.

He made a move ahead. He had to do something; freeze the bad guys or the ground, make ice lances, anything… to save Juvia.

Ryo pushed him back just in time as one of the men saw them and shot with his gun in their direction but missed fortunately. Ryo didn't release his grip on Gray until all the men were inside the vans and the trucks started to go.

"JUVIA!" Gray yelled as the van disappeared behind the street corner.

Oh gods.

What can he do now?

* * *

 **AN** : Please review!

I hope the action scene was good enough. This sort of scene are always a challenge to me.

I think Kaori would find out Hitomi knew the sender but I wanted Juvia to be more active than she was until then. I focused a bit too much on Kaori at the beginning of this chapter.  
And don't worry, they will be active in the next chapter; they're my favorites characters for a reason! ;)

Also I chose the name of Hitomi Wakanae in reference to two others Hojo's mangas : _Cat's Eye_ (for Hitomi name) and _F. Compo_ (for Wakanae)  
No, I'm not a fan of Tsukasa Hojo! Not at all! ;)

Thanks to Rei-guest and the anonymous guest who reviewed the first chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: To protect her smile

**AN: I didn't specify when it takes place. So it's just after the Grand Magic Game.**

 **Please, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part III: To protect her smile**

The police arrived within twenty minutes after the bandits departures. Some people reported what had happened while a medic staff took care of the unconscious employees and clients.

A crowd had gathered around the Bank, kept at bay by the policemen.

The detective Saeko Nogami was giving instructions at her men in order to get as information as they could to determine the identity of the three women abducted.

"Saeko!" Someone called her and she turned around to see two men with dark hair coming her way. She knew one of them very well. Too well unfortunately.

"Ryo." She sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"A job." Ryo shrugged.

"A job? Wait. Where's Kaori?" And then she gasped. "Don't tell me… Is she one of the women who were kidnapped? Ryo!"

"Yeah, she is. Don't worry. I handle it. But I need time."

Saeko and Ryo stared into each other's eyes for a moment but finally Saeko broke the eye contact.

"You have three hours. After that, I'll track down the criminals."

"Thanks! I wipe a part of your slate but you still own me some Mokkori nights." Ryo winked with a big grin, making Saeko blush with his comment.

"Ah? Ha, ha, really?" She laughed a bit awkwardly. "Well, we should discuss that later. For now, you have to save Kaori!" She passed a seductive hand in her black bluish hair and walked away.

Ryo waved at her still grinning and Gray gave him a weary look.

"What are you going to do?" Gray asked. "We don't know who they were and where the girls could be detained."

"I think someone may have some clues." Ryo said as he spotted out of the corner of his eye a move in the crowd.

A silhouette left the crowd of curious people and walked along the walls of the street, to remain in the building shadows. A few meters away, the man turned in a dark alley, his head down, he was not looking before him as if he was lost in his thoughts.

He was startled when a tall man appeared suddenly before him and shouted: " **Gotcha!** "

A bit afraid, the man turned his heels but stopped immediately when he saw Gray at the other end of the alley.

"I think you have some information you want to share with us." Ryo declared as he approached the man.

"I have nothing to say. Let me pass!" The man said and tried to pass Ryo but Ryo grabbed his arm and push him back. Ryo's force was a bit too much and the man fell on his bottom.

"Hey!" He lifted his head but his anger expression turned in a frightened face when he saw the barrel of a gun a few inches from his nose.

"So? What's your name?" Ryo asked with a friendly face with his weapon still pointing to the man's face.

"Ma… Masahiko Utsumi." The man stuttered white as a sheet.

"Nice to meet you." Ryo replied with a gentle smile. "You know something about the earlier attack. What is it?" His voice suddenly menacing while his face darkened.

"I… I don't know what you mean…"

"Don't try to fool me. Who was the gang? Why did they kidnap these women?"

The man gulped, all of his body shaking.

"Who…Who are you?"

Ryo smiled like a wolf.

"I'm City Hunter."

###

Juvia woke up slowly and soon she felt a hard and cold surface against her face.

Her eyelids were heavy but she fought the sleepiness and opened her eyes. It was dark but the slight light from a skylight was enough to distinguish a door in the opposite wall.

She was lying on the ground and she saw Hitomi not too far away still sleeping. She tried to get up but her head hurt and with a wail she put a hand on her forehead.

"Go slowly. You're still dizzy because of the gas." A gentle voice said.

She turned her head carefully and saw Kaori seated in a corner, a little smile on her face. Juvia returned her smile.

"Kaori-san. Juvia is glad you're okay."

Kaori giggled.

"You're a bit selfless, aren't you? Somebody else would have been angry or scared about themselves."

"Kaori-san isn't scared either."

"Well… It's not the first time I'm kidnapped."

"Where are we?"

"In a cellar, it seems. But where exactly? I don't know. Maybe we're outside of Tokyo. I don't know how long we slept."

Juvia glanced at the inert frame of Hitomi.

"She's still unconscious." She said a bit worried.

"She's fine. She'll wake up in some minutes." Kaori affirmed and Juvia nodded, the calm demeanour of Kaori was reassuring. The water mage tried to remember the last moments before her loss of consciousness. Heavy footsteps. And deep voices. Someone caring her. A loud noise like a thunder.

"A gunshot." Kaori said when Juvia shared her memory. "I heard the footsteps too. I presume that we were kidnapped by those who attacked the bank."

"Why did these men take us?" Juvia asked out loud. "Juvia thought the reason of a bank attack was the money."

"As hostage maybe. But I think they were after Wakanae-san. I didn't see anyone since I woke up but someone will check on us and when we may learn more about them. The sender of the anonymous message could be here too."

"Oh, maybe he can help us!" Juvia exclaimed with a big smile.

"I'm not sure… If he is with these bandits then he's a bad guy too. He had already betray them with the messages, if he help us he could be caught and in a gang, traitors are eliminated. Definitively."

Juvia gulped.

"What do you suggest, then?"

Kaori opened her mouth to answer but a moan of pain interrupted her and they turned towards Hitomi who was waking up. She looked at them a bit confused and they saw on her face when she remembered what happened before and realized her current situation.

"Where am I? What happened?" She yelled eyes wide while she tried to get up but fell immediately.

Kaori rushed at her side.

"Calm down. The effects of the sleeping gas have not entirely faded." She said quietly.

"What happened? The bank?" Hitomi asked again.

"The bank was attacked and they took us somewhere. Do you recognize this place?"

Hitomi looked around but shook her head.

"No…" Her voice was cracking as if she was near tears. "What do they want? What are they going to do to us?"

"Shhh…" Kaori murmured and put her arm around Hitomi's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll protect you. And my partner is certainly on his way to save us."

"But… How will he know where to find us?"

Kaori grinned and opened her shirt a little bit.

"I have a geo-location system hidden in my bra. Ryo can track its signal and then he'll find us."

Proud and faith could be heard in Kaori's tone

"Do you think Gray-sama is alright?" Juvia asked.

Kaori smiled softly.

"You care a lot about him, don't you? Don't worry. Ryo is an idiot and a womanizer but you can trust his skills. Your friend is safe. And something tells me he will come with Ryo to save us."

Juvia blushed a little.

"Yes. Gray-sama protects his nakama whatever it costs."

An amused glint in her eye, Kaori smiled again and turned to Hitomi.

"See? Everything will be alright. But I want to know who took us. Does your father have enemies?"

"He is a businessman. He has some rivals of course. But no one hates him enough to do that."

"Okay, so it's probably some yakuza or thieves behind this. Good. They are often stupid and weak. When they come to us and bring us to their boss, we will have to find a way to get out from here."

"But… you said that your friends will save us." Hitomi said surprised.

"Oh yes. But I'm not the kind of woman who waits to be saved by a prince charming." Kaori chuckled. "And I think Juvia isn't either. Am I right?"

But Juvia was daydreaming with a smile, her hands on her red cheeks.

"Ah… Prince Gray! You came to save Juvia. She is all yours! Who are we inviting to the weeding?"

"Or not…" Kaori murmured.

###

"So…You're one of them?" Ryo asked.

"Not anymore."

The man was still a little scared but with the mention of City Hunter he was eager to confess. City Hunter had apparently some reputation, Gray thought, despite his childish attitude.

"The Boss gang, Gareki, wants a precious diamond. Its owner is a very rich and old woman and she is a client of Wakanae Bank. Some months ago, the Boss learned that she put the diamond in safety and he asked me to seduce the manager to know in which vault the diamond was kept. So, I met Hitomi under a false identity: I pretended to be a secretary of a big investor. We get along and started to flirt. As an excuse to know her and with a help of alcohol, I asked about her job and the type of customer she had, if she had rich people who trust her to keep their treasure safe. She said she had an old lady who was very strict and wanted the best safety procedures. Hitomi was a bit drunk and reckless." Masahiko added with some reproach in his tone as if he regretted her carelessness. "And she finally told me that she had a small and blast resistant vault in her office with a secret code known only by her. And she put inside the most value things of her clients."

He pursed his lips and paused for some time, as if the memory was unpleasant.

"I reported this to Gareki. He praised me and said I would get a reward, and one more if I could obtain the secret code. Meanwhile he started to plan the attack. He asked me about the number of guards, the number of security cameras and other failures. But as the date approached, I started to… feel guilty. I couldn't lie anymore to Hitomi and I broke with her. I'm not used to manipulate someone!" He yelled, probably to let know he was not a big criminal. "I started wondering what might happen to Hitomi during the attack. I didn't manage to give Gareki the vault code so… Maybe he would hurt her to obtain it… and I was scared for her. I couldn't tell her, I was afraid to see her again. And how could I tell her? What I was a thief? What I abused her? Everything was a lie! I wasn't the man she liked! I…"

"Stop here the drama." Ryo said abruptly. "I'm not interested in your feelings. Beside it's pretty simple: you fall in love with your target and decide to betray your gang. Am I right?"

"Yeah." Masahiko sighed, his head down. "I send her messages to warn her. Apparently she didn't take them seriously."

"Not really. Or I wouldn't be here." Ryo replied. "But something is strange… Why are you still alive?"

"Heh?" The man raised his head.

"There are many ways to get rid of a traitor. But all have a bad ending for the traitor. You know what I mean?"

"I… I lied to Gareki. I said that I chickened out and didn't want to participate with the attack. I have never been brave so I think he believed me." He stuttered, his face turning white.

"You're the shame of the underworld." Ryo stated without sympathy. "Of course, he didn't believe you. You're a sacrifice. I wouldn't be surprised if the cops find proofs about your involvement."

"But… But I know his name, his face. I could denounce him."

"As if he cares. With the diamond, he can disappear. New name. New nationality. A lot of countries don't ask questions about your past if you can pay. Okay. One last question: how many men with him?"

"Twenty." Masahiko answered automatically seeming shocked.

Ryo turned towards Gray.

"I can take ten on my part. Can I leave the rest to you?"

"Yeah. No problem." Gray said quickly, he had enough of inactivity. He wanted to pursue the criminals and see Juvia safe.

"Good. Come on." Ryo smiled and turned his heels followed by Gray.

"Ah! I can tell you where they are!" Masahiko shouted behind them.

"No need." Ryo responded without turning his head.

But Masahiko followed them as they returned in front of Ryo and Kaori's building. Ryo opened a small red car and sat in the driver seat, but before Gray could get inside and sit beside him, Masahiko rushed inside and sat in the rear seat.

"Get out, boy. This isn't a play in kindergartens." Ryo warned him.

"I want to help." Masahiko said stubborn.

"You didn't choose the right time to grow balls. I'm not responsible if you're killed."

"Shut up." Masahiko grumbled. "Their hideout is in the east. You should take this street…"

"No need I said." Ryo interrupted him as he brought out a small box with a screen and Gray presumed it had the same function as a lacrima vision.

Ryo turned a button on and a green light flashed on the screen.

Ryo smirked.

"He definitely didn't trust you. The east? They're in the south of Tokyo."

###

They heard some clicking sounds and then the door was opened. Four men entered, each with a gun in hand pointed towards the women.

"Get up and follow us." One of them said in a menacing tone.

"Stay behind me." Kaori whispered to Hitomi.

They followed the man with the other three close behind and their guns still lifted. The man leaded them through a few corridors and stairs, shadowed by the lack of light as many neon lamps were flickering or not working. There were dust and old papers on the floor. Scared, Hitomi walked close behind Kaori.

"An abandoned factory." Kaori noted when they crossed a large room with old machines and grappling hooks.

"Shut up." The leader said harshly.

They climbed a metal stair which led to the administration area. Finally the man knocked on a door and pushed the women inside.

Seated on the corner of a desk, a tall man with broad shoulders smiled while the three women were lined up before him.

"Hi ladies. Don't be afraid. I won't do anything if Miss Wakanae here gives me the password for this little buddy." He said gently patting on the small vault beside him.

Hitomi paled but before she could say something, Kaori asked with a mock tone.

"Why do you need her? I thought you were professional thieves. Weren't you well prepared? Weren't you able to know it before? Or maybe you cannot remember a simple series of number?"

His face tensed but he kept smiling even if his smile seemed more forced.

"Well, you're a rude guest. For your information, some waste was in charge to collect the code but the little shit was too sentimental and backed off when things became serious."

"Oh, so your perfect plan had some failure?"

His smile faded and his eyes darkened.

###

"Fortunately for you, I'm not some idiot dragon slayer with motion sickness." Gray stated with gritted teeth as Ryo turned sharp left without slowing his car.

Ryo glanced at him.

"Sorry, but the faster we go, the sooner the girls will be safe."

"Are you afraid of these guys? Are they dangerous?"

"No. They are just some mobsters who overestimate themselves. I'm more afraid of Kaori's mouth. She can get on their nerves and provoke them. And then, they could be dangerous. A wounded dog bites hard."

Gray didn't comment but his guts twisted and his need to see Juvia safe increased.

Ryo glanced once again in his direction.

"But don't worry. Kaori is more than capable, she won't put innocents at risk. Your girl won't be hurt."

"Juvia can protect herself." Gray replied instantly. "And she's not my girl! She's just a friend!"

"Really?" Ryo said with a grin. "You seem to care deeply for her. And she's beautiful, don't tell me you didn't imagine her in your bed."

Gray blushed furiously. "I'm not a mokkori pervert." He muttered under his breath as Ryo's smile widened and he turned his head towards the window, resting his cheek against his hand. He looked outside as the car took a highway and the suburb of Tokyo passed before his eyes.

"I can't." He said suddenly. "If I touch her this way and hurt her, I will be killed by her pseudo brother and then the woman-monster Titania will slice me into pieces. But the first reason…" He trailed off and remained silence for a moment.

"I bring death." Gray said in a low whisper earning a new glance from Ryo. "I lost the people I cared. First, my parents when I was young, and then my master. And some time ago, even my master's daughter. And…" He stopped for a moment. "I almost lost Juvia once. But I pushed her away and got shoot instead."

"So you play cold and indifferent in hope she'd walk away and be safe." Ryo deduced. "But she's stubborn."

"Yeah. She doesn't want to leave my side. And when she smiles, it's so warm I don't feel the cold anymore. And I don't know what I want."

Ryo hummed, understanding.

"Sometimes you want to push her away, hurt her so she'd hate you and never come back and other times you want to hold her close and protect her. I know exactly what you feel. I lost many partners and some comrades too. And they were pros, but Kaori… she lived in the light before. She could be wounded many times. But the more I push her, the more she clings on me."

Gray could not help but smile.

"These girls will be the death of us."

Ryo snorted with Gray's statement.

A short period of silent followed before Masahiko spoke.

"In a way, you're lucky."

Ryo looked at the man in the rear-view mirror. "Ah, I had forgotten that one!" He said with an amused tone as Gray turned towards the man in the back seat of the car.

"What do you mean?"

Masahiko sighed.

"These women… they love you no matter what. I lost the woman I love. No… I never had her in the first place. All of this was a lie. She liked another man through me. And she will not forgive me. She can't love me anymore. But if I had the chance to return in the past and change things, I will not leave her. If you love them, you shouldn't lie to them and act like you really want to."

"It's the first time I see a thief turning into a couple therapist." Ryo replied but the two others didn't react and they remained silent for the rest of the ride.

Finally, some minutes later, they stopped not far away of a red brick building with broken windows.

"It's here." Ryo informed. "A former factory, heh?"

They exited the car and approached the building slowly, remaining hidden behind wooden crates.

His gun in hand, Ryo scanned the surroundings.

"Tssk! They're too confident. There are just one watchman on the roof and two guards at the door. Okay, so here the plan: I shoot the watchman while you take care of the guards." He explained to Gray. "Then, we run inside and get rid of the men, but we keep one of them awake so we can ask where the girls are. And you." He turned towards Masahiko. "Stay here. I don't want you to disturb us."

"I have a gun. I can…" The man replied as if he was angry about Ryo excluding him.

"Yeah? Be careful when you play with it, don't hurt yourself." Ryo said sarcastically and turned back to Gray. "You're ready?"

But before they could move, an explosion was heard from the first floor and a man was ejected from the hole.

"Kaori's signature." Ryo deadpanned.

Then a powerful jet of water was expelled from a window, propelling two men on the ground, completely drenched.

"Juvia's work." Gray commented.

Ryo smirked.

"It seems like our girls didn't wait for us to start the show."

* * *

 **AN** : So what do you think? I hope they're not too out of characters. **Please let me know with a review**! I spend some time to write this and I would really like to know what you think.

 **Big thanks** to all who reviewed the last chapter: **Karamminah** (Oh! I didn't know about the movie with Jackie Chan. I'll watch it when I have time!) and the **anon guest** (I hope you like this new chapter as well :) Can you tell me where the grammar errors are? I'm sorry, I didn't find them.)

Oh, the tracking system in Kaori's bra is picked from episode 154 (season 2 episode 53) of the anime City Hunter.

In first, I planned to write two or three chapters, but as you see, I made this story a bit longer than I thought so it will have one more chapter to complete.

Like the name of Hitomi, I picked the name Masahiko and the surname Utsumi from _F. Compo_ and _Cat's eye_ by Tsukasa Hojo.  
And I chose the name Gareki because I read on the Internet it means rubble, so I thought it suited for a gangster. But I like this name, and I don't want to offend anyone with this name.

See you soon!


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